Program Manager – Key Accounts

Schneider Electric; Chicago (IL); Hybrid; USD 118,000 - 176,000; Full time

Job summary

Schneider Electric is seeking a Program Manager to lead the strategic execution of Key Account programs and serve as the representative for the Key Account business. You will guide multi-stakeholder programs with strong leadership, customer engagement, factory coordination, and disciplined execution.

You will be the senior interface between customers, global factories, suppliers, engineering, and internal operations, ensuring commitments on scope, cost, schedule, and quality.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree or equivalent experience; advanced degree a plus.
• 5–10+ years leading cross-functional technical programs or operations in a senior role.
• Strong experience engaging customers, supply chain partners, and manufacturing operations.
• Ability to influence diverse teams without direct authority.
• Proven track record delivering programs on cost, schedule, and quality.
• Excellent communication skills across all levels, from shop floor to executives.
• Proficient in MS Office; experience with MS Project, Visio, and Excel preferred.
• Comfortable operating in fast-moving, global, geographically dispersed teams.
• Willingness to travel up to 25%.

Responsibilities

• Lead senior-level customer discussions, escalations, and program readiness checks.
• Coordinate cross-functional teams across engineering, operations, sourcing, and logistics.
• Represent Key Account programs to customers, factories, and executives.
• Provide forecast visibility and risk governance to leadership.
• Ensure programs deliver on scope, cost, schedule, and quality.

Skills

Cross-functional leadership

Customer engagement

Program management

Stakeholder communication

Supply chain coordination

Manufacturing operations

Education

Bachelor's degree or equivalent

Advanced degree a plus

Tools

MS Office

MS Project

Visio

Excel

Job description

Program Manager Location: US Hybrid – 2 days onsite per week — Chicago, Dallas, Houston, Nashville or St. Louis preferred but would consider candidates in Boston, Raleigh, Morristown/Floram Park, NJ or Louisville.

About The Role

We are seeking a Program Manager to lead the strategic execution of Key Account programs and serve as the representative for the Key Account business. This highly visible role is responsible for guiding complex, multi‑stakeholder programs that require strong leadership, customer engagement, factory coordination, and disciplined execution.

As the senior interface between customers, global factories, suppliers, engineering, and internal operations, you will ensure that Key Account programs meet commitments for scope, cost, schedule, and quality. You will drive alignment across global supply chain partners, anticipate and mitigate risks, and provide clear, executive‑level program visibility.

If you are a seasoned professional who thrives in matrixed environments, leads with influence, and brings structure to complexity—this role offers a chance to make a major impact on the growth and performance of the Key Account business.

What You’ll Do

Senior Leadership & Representation

• Serve as the representative and voice of the Key Account business to customers, factories, suppliers, and internal leadership.
• Establish trusted relationships with strategic customers and executive stakeholders.
• Translate business strategy into executable program roadmaps that drive Key Account business success.

Customer‑Facing Responsibilities

• Act as the primary senior point of contact for key customers on delivery status, risks, requirements, and commitments.
• Lead customer discussions, escalations, operational reviews, and program readiness checkpoints.
• Ensure customer expectations are aligned, documented, and delivered with high reliability.

Factory & Supplier‑Facing Responsibilities

• Represent the Key Account business with global factories and suppliers, ensuring production schedules, capacity plans, and material readiness support customer commitments.
• Lead cross‑functional resolution of manufacturing issues, supply constraints, and schedule challenges.
• Provide forecast visibility, volume outlook, and program priorities to supply chain and factory leadership.

Program Management & Execution

• Own end‑to‑end execution for complex, high‑impact Key Account programs.
• Lead planning, backlog management, scheduling, and risk governance to ensure predictable delivery.
• Identify, elevate, and drive closure of issues that threaten scope, schedule, cost, or customer satisfaction.
• Facilitate cross‑functional alignment across engineering, operations, sourcing, logistics, and services.
• Champion continuous improvement in processes, communication mechanisms, tools, and delivery performance.
• Provide executive‑ready communication, dashboards, and program visibility to internal and external stakeholders.

What You Bring

• Bachelor’s degree or equivalent experience; advanced degree a plus.
• 5–10+ years of experience leading complex, cross‑functional technical programs or operations in a senior capacity.
• Strong experience engaging customers, supply chain partners, and manufacturing operations.
• Proven ability to lead large initiatives without direct authority and influence diverse teams.
• Demonstrated success delivering programs on cost, on schedule, and on quality.
• Outstanding communication skills capable of engaging at all levels, from factory personnel to executives.
• Proficiency in MS Office; preferred experience with MS Project, Visio, and Excel.
• Ability to operate effectively in fast‑moving, global, geographically dispersed teams.
• Ability to Travel up to 25%

This is a high‑impact role at the center of our Key Account growth strategy. You will represent the business, lead major programs, solve complex customer and factory challenges, and influence the direction of a rapidly evolving portfolio.

What’s in it for me?

• High-visibility role where your work directly impacts customer success and business outcomes
• Opportunity to lead diverse, global teams across cutting‑edge projects and technologies
• Collaborative culture that values autonomy, professional judgment, and career development
• Dynamic environment with exposure to both Capex and Opex initiatives

At Schneider, we believe that every employee is a talent who deserves equal opportunities. This means you matter. Every individual needs to feel valued, supported, and treated fairly to do their best work.

Our Total Rewards is our way of saying: “We see you. We value you”. It’s more than just pay and benefits- it’s a meaningful investment in you. It is designed for you to perform, grow, feel safe, and elevate your potential to shine as an impact maker.

For this U.S. based position, the expected pay range is USD 117,600 – USD 176,400 per year. This pay range includes base pay and short-term incentives. The compensation range for this full‑time position applies to candidates located within the United States. Our pay ranges are determined by reviewing roles of similar responsibility and level. Within the pay range, individual pay is determined by several factors including performance, knowledge, job‑related skills, experience, and relevant education or training.

Schneider Electric is there when it matters most to you

Our Total Rewards package outlines all the benefits and support you’ll enjoy as part of the Schneider Electric team:

Care for Yourself and Your Family. We ensure you feel secure with benefits that help you and your family thrive: medical (with member reward points), dental, vision, and basic life insurance, Benefit Bucks, flexible work arrangements, paid family leaves, well‑being programs, 12 holidays per year, and 15 days of paid time off per year.

Invest and Plan Your Future. We help you plan and invest for the future with competitive pay and programs including base salary, incentives, company share ownership, and 401(k) with match.

Grow Your Skills and Career. We support development through performance discussions, global opportunities, the Schneider Career Hub, and learning platforms like Coursera.

Team Up in the Workplace. We encourage collaboration, recognition, sharing your voice, and an inclusive workplace.

Support Your Community. We make a difference through volunteer leave, programs with the Schneider Electric Foundation, youth education initiatives, and military leave benefits.

If you believe this job posting is not compliant with applicable state pay transparency laws in the U.S., please notify the Company as soon as possible upon discovery by completing this form Job Posting Compliance Form. Looking to make an IMPACT with your career? When you are thinking about joining a new team, culture matters. At Schneider Electric, our values and behaviors are the foundation for creating a great culture to support business success. We believe that our IMPACT values — Inclusion, Mastery, Purpose, Action, Curiosity, Teamwork — starts with us. It is a call to connect your career with the ambition of achieving a more resilient, efficient, and sustainable world.

IMPACT is also your invitation to join Schneider Electric where you can contribute to turning sustainability ambition into actions, no matter what role you play. It is a call to connect your career with the ambition of achieving a more resilient, efficient, and sustainable world.

We are looking for IMPACT Makers; exceptional people who turn sustainability ambitions into actions at the intersection of automation, electrification, and digitization. We celebrate IMPACT Makers and believe everyone has the potential to be one.

€40 billion global revenue

+9% organic growth

150 000+ employees in 100+ countries

Schneider Electric aspires to be the most inclusive and caring company in the world, by providing equitable opportunities to everyone, everywhere, and ensuring all employees feel uniquely valued and safe to contribute their best. We mirror the diversity of the communities in which we operate, and ‘inclusion’ is one of our core values. We believe our differences make us stronger as a company and as individuals and we are committed to championing inclusivity in everything we do. At Schneider Electric, we uphold the highest standards of ethics and compliance, and we believe that trust is a foundational value. Our Trust Charter is our Code of Conduct and demonstrates our commitment to ethics, safety, sustainability, quality and cybersecurity, underpinning every aspect of our business and our willingness to behave and respond respectfully and in good faith to all our stakeholders. You can find out more about our Trust Charter here Schneider Electric is an Equal Opportunity Employer. It is our policy to provide equal employment and advancement opportunities in the areas of recruiting, hiring, training, transferring, and promoting all qualified individuals regardless of race, religion, color, gender, disability, national origin, ancestry, age, military status, sexual orientation, marital status or any other legally protected characteristic or conduct.